When I’m in Seattle I always stay at The Mediterranean Inn. Here are several reasons why:

6.  It’s not fancy but comfortable, a good choice if you’re here on business or pleasure and mainly want a room for sleeping. The mini-fridge enables you to stock up on food, thereby cutting down on eating expenses. (And speaking of stocking up, there’s a large, nice Safeway across the street for fruit, sandwiches, bottled water, you name it.)

5.  Free Internet access in the lobby (and not just a stand-up wall pc; there’s also a business center that has several terminals equipped with printers).

4.  An underground parking garage. (Here come my only real complaints. The garage is quite cramped, making it a real chore to park anything larger than a compact car in one of the narrow spaces. And if the hotel is close to capacity—as it can be on weekends and holidays—you may end up searching or even waiting for a precious space. There’s also a steeply banked entry into the garage that has a nasty habit of scraping the underside of your vehicle if negotiated at more than a snail’s pace. At least on my last visit a hard rubber mat had been installed on top of the concrete floor to minimize this, but you still have to take it very slow.)

3.  Views. Not every room has one, but if you request a room with a view on the top (sixth) floor and manage to snag it you’ll be treated to an impressive panorama of downtown Seattle that encompasses everything from the Space Needle to Elliott Bay. The rooftop deck (left) has an even better view; head up there at dawn and watch the city wake up.

2.  Reasonable rates (normally right around or a little less than $150 a night). That’s not bad at all for downtown Seattle.

My No. 1 recommendation, though, is location. The Mediterranean is in Lower Queen Anne, which is simply a great place to be if you don’t want to do a lot of driving. Here you’re within walking distance of many popular attractions (Pike Place Market, the Seattle Art Museum and Pioneer Square, to name just three). You’re a stone’s throw from Seattle Center and the Space Needle. It’s a 15-minute walk down to the waterfront and Olympic Sculpture Park.

You’re also very close—I’m talking a block or less—to sustenance both culinary and intellectual. In addition to the Safeway, a Pagliacci Pizza outlet is a block up Queen Anne Avenue. I love this local chain where you can get a slice or two or three and one of their tasty pasta salads for a quick meal. A branch of Seattle mainstay Dick’s Drive-In, for cheap burgers, fries and shakes, is open every night until 2 a.m. (thank you!). The Mecca Café—a classic booth-and-counter-stool diner where you can get a breakfast of eggs sitting atop a slab of properly cooked hash browns, plus good strong diner coffee—is steps from Dick’s. Uptown Espresso, “home of the velvet foam,” is great for coffee and something sweet from their bakery. And the three-screen Uptown Cinemas shows quality first-run and art-house films. This neighborhood has really got you covered.

The Mediterranean Inn is at 425 Queen Anne Ave. N. (at the corner of Republican Street).